Tag: Eras of MMA

Fedor’s dominance over MMA’s heavyweight division is such that, had he been born a few hundred years ago, they might have burned him for being a witch. At least they might have tried, though he would certainly have armbarred the entire mob and then calmly collected their pitchforks. Fedor is the rare fighter with devastating one-punch knockout power on the feet and deft submission skills off his back. In other words, you are never really winning against Fedor; you’re just temporarily not losing.

Fedor’s run through Pride’s heavyweight class was like Sherman’s March to the Sea, only much more efficient. He beat everyone there was to beat and he did it convincingly. His list of victims includes former UFC champs like Tim Sylvia and Andrei Arlovski, as well as Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Mark Coleman, and even Hong Man Choi. In fact, the only barrier to Fedor’s continued reign of terror is his own refusal to sign with the UFC, where more heavyweights are waiting to be conquered. Will he ever cave in and do to the UFC’s big men what he did to Pride’s? It’s doubtful, though until he loses you really can’t begrudge him the title of the world’s best heavyweight.